The Relief of Skyrim by Legate Publius Cornelius
by r4g6
Summary: Ulfric and his Stormcloaks have expelled almost all presence of the Empire from Skyrim and have cornered General Tullius in Haafingar Hold and besiege Solitude. Through the commentaries of Publius Cornelius, Legate to General Uulium, the tale of the 19th Legion is recorded as they embark to relieve the siege and turn Skyrim back to the Empire.
1. Book One

**19th Legion at Pale Pass**

**General Titus Uulium**

**Legate Publius Cornelia** (writer)

3300 (understrength)

-2700 Infantry (veterans of 10th and 18th)

-350 Skirmisher Infantry

-250 Cavalry

**Sequence of Events**

**Pale Pass**

Uulium addresses the Legion and states his initial goals for the campaign:

-March up to Solitude and relieve the siege of General Tullius

-Turn Holds back over to the Empire and remove Ulfric Stormcloak from his position as high king

-Find out what happened at Helgen

With that, the army crossed the border and escalated the Skyrim Civil War into a war against the Stormcloaks.

**Bloodlet Throne**

The southernmost defensive point in Falkreath Hold. Held by vampires but abandoned when the army was being levied on the border. Provisions were made which ensured a constant stream of fresh provisions and men through the pass to keep the army supplied.

**Fort Neugrad**

Stormguard Garrison fled before the army arrived. Camped the night at the fort and, after interrogating the imperial legionaries in the fort jail, found out the intentions of the enemy and that they were fleeing Falkreath to Combine forces further north.

**Helgen**

The first objective the Legion completed was discovering the fate of Helgen. It was a small town but was heavily fortified and served as the imperial foothold in the south. Hadvar was in Helgen when it fell and reported that it was the work of a dragon attack. He was laughed out but now we can see he was telling the truth. We pitched camp inside the walls and set up our base of operations from within the ruined walls. The town was scavenged, and many important documents were found and sent back to the capital for evaluation. It was here that the decision was made to go to Falkreath itself with only a smaller portion of the army.

**Falkreath**

Uulium and I left with the cavalry and 200 picked infantry and went to Falkreath itself. Whilst it did put the command of the army at risk, Uulium wagered that the rest of the Hold was without defence and that Falkreath would capitulate before a single sword had to be removed from its sheath.

The gamble paid off as representatives arrived from small settlements around the Hold to Helgen and their surrender was accepted, and garrisons were sent. When in Falkreath itself, the small force loyal to the Jarl locked itself within his keep and refused to surrender. During the small-scale siege townsfolk greeted the men and talked of the Jarl's dishonesty and that he locked up the former Jarl (who not only supported the empire but was his nephew). As well as this, reports emerged of the local soldiers abusing their powers and making hell for the townsfolk.

For this reason, when our soldiers eventually entered the keep through the store rooms underground, the Stormcloaks and the Jarl were taken to the town centre and publicly tried and executed. In the Jarl's place the previous Jarl was freed and restored. He was grateful and, as a sign of his gratitude, he pledged regular deliveries of grain and other provisions to Uulium in Helgen.

**Stormcloak Training Camp**

Whilst Uulium was marching back from Falkreath, a scouting party returned to Helgen missing almost half of its number. A Stormcloak training camp had been discovered east of the ruined town and its inhabitants had been harassing Imperial scouts as well as supply wagons. Word was sent by speeding horse to Uulium who was still at the head of his small detachment. Uulium was unwilling to leave his men due to the new threat of Stormcloaks in the Hold so sent me as a Legate to handle the situation.

I arrived in Helgen and quickly set about talking to the survivors of the scouting party. Once the location of the camp was identified, I left with 100 men and 50 skirmishers. All the cavalry was with Uulium's detachment, so our strength was hampered.

We arrived as night came. The small size of the detachment allowed me to quickly manoeuvre the men into three positions around the camp. The first was a distraction with most of the skirmishers and 20 infantry, whilst the rest were split into two groups, one at each flank of the camp.

A signal was given using an arrow and the night attack began at once. The skirmishers fired their missiles into the camp, hiding between trees. As those in the camp realised what was happening they mounted a defence against the missiles. I saw one soldier kick over his commander's fine wooden table to hide behind it.

The 20 infantry with the skirmishers formed a shield wall in front and presented themselves to the enemy. Their attention was grabbed, and they began to charge the wall. At this moment the two other parties charged into the camp, killing most of those inside before forming another shield wall behind the stormcloaks who had now stopped charging.

Faced with Imperials on both sides, the Stormcloaks surrendered.

Loot and important documents were taken from the camp and were sent back to Helgen. The Stormcloaks were sent to Helgen as well but the camp leaders were sent to Bloodlet Throne to be further interrogated.

**Leaving Falkreath**

When the army was reunited it was decided that no more time should be wasted in the holds and that we must move if we wished to complete our task of reliving General Tullius. A garrison of 100 men were left in Helgen with the task of rebuilding the town and protecting the supply wagons which would follow the army.

The 19th legion left Helgen on the following morning and headed north west towards Markarth. We made brief camp at the Half-Moon Mill and men were happy to purchase ale and food with their salary. Across the lake, the sunken fort known as Ilinatra's Deep could be seen. Uulium was wary of it and considered garrisoning it but a local convinced him it was empty.

Uulium led the army out the following day after the Mill had taken in more gold coins in one night than it had in the last year. We followed the lake a little further north and then halted and planned our next move. In a normal situation, these campaigns are planned beforehand but Tullius' situation was dire, and the army was a quickly formed one. It was decided that Markarth was too mountainous a Hold to safely take the army through and so instead a separate path was chosen through Stormcloak held Whiterun, hugging the mountains to our left always to limit the possibility of being engaged head on.


	2. Book Two

**Fort Sungard**

The first river to cross on this new route was the Stormcloak held fortification of Fort Sungard. It was highly strategic, sitting high aloft looking down on the plains which characterised Whiterun Hold. It was imperative that it was taken to ensure the safety of our supply wagons and to prevent us from being cut off in Skyrim itself.

Like many of the strongholds in Skyrim, Sungard had seen better days. Its walls were showing their age and the western tower had given way, exposing its flank. The Stormcloak defenders sent away and later killed any attaché sent forward to secure their surrender. As such, Uulium resolved to take the fort by force and deployed two-thirds of the men at the base of the mountain. He took the final third, the men most experienced with sieges, and led them personally up the steep slopes to make camp and prepare siege works.

Now, it is apparent that what follows is not a conventional siege by any means. In the Great War there were many sieges and most followed the empire's pattern and method of trenches, walls and traps. However, the province of Skyrim is a harsh and cold one. Sungard was a natural fortification, built from the mountain on which it stood; the ground was frozen and hard, no good for trenches, and the sparse patches of trees were not enough for proper siege works. Indeed, they were of great value in keeping the cold wind off the backs of the siege troops. As such, Uulium employed the use of small detachments of men under the cover of night to regularly sabotage some aspect of the Stormcloak defence.

This started with a small group of missile troops surging forward and launching their projectiles and arrows upwards and over the walls of the fort. They also made sure to kill any livestock tied up outside the gate (Fort Sungard had a small wooden rampart outside the gate in which were kept horses and cattle. It was protected by wooden stakes and sentries, but they were no use against arrow fire). Secondly, a group was sent out onto the mountain to find a vantage point which would look down upon the fort, to gather information about the nature of its defence, and they returned with substantial intelligence and even an estimation of the size of the force inside. They estimated between 150 and 220 men. A substantial force for a Fort of this size. Uulium suspected that the fort may have a vast underground dungeon system and instructed all foraging parties to make note of the caves they found during their daily quest for food and water.

The final detachment was thrust forward with the goal of lighting the wooden rampart and burning away the forward defences of the Stormcloak rebels. However, before it could be fully lit, an alarm was raised in the Fort and a hasty sortie was organised and executed. The detachment was ordered into retreat but either did not hear or decided to keep their honour and hold their ground. We do not know which, but we do know that every single one of them was cut down in the ensuing fighting. The morning sun shed light on the losses and Uulium cursed this disaster and wrote a letter of condolences to the families or next of kin of each of the fallen legionaries.

I believe that in his mind, Uulium was beginning to think this siege too costly and a mistake. General Tullius was still in Solitude and under intense siege. What were we doing half way up a mountain in Whiterun Hold? It was in this deep thought that I delivered some good news to the General. A foraging party had found a cave, and, upon further inspection, it became apparent that it was being used by the Stormcloaks to get information, supplies and men into and out of the Fort. Its discovery was at first troubling as it meant that the Fort was in a far better situation than first anticipated, but it did also mean that Uulium now had the opportunity to grab the initiative and storm the castle by surprise. Again, utilising the darkness of night, he manoeuvred his best and most trusted troops to set up an ambush outside the entrance to the cave. The rest of his force maintained the siege but took more regular patrols and lit many campfires to create the illusion that the number of men had not changed.

The thin pink streaks of dawn had just begun when the first group of Stormcloaks emerged from the cave, together with pack horses and donkeys to be used to carry supplies. They were quickly put down by missile fire and the order was given to advance into the cave system. Uulium was present but not the first to enter, his focus was on organising any attack or defence that would be necessary as they pushed deeper into the mountain. What follows is his account that I secured from him on a particularly boring and slow march so I cannot verify it to be true. Though I see no reason why he would lie. He told me:

_"The first room the men came upon was a large storage hall. Cool but not humid, it was the perfect storage house for grain and it was full to the ceiling. Enough to last until Winter and then some to get through it. As we filtered in, some Stormcloak guards who had not expected us fled deeper into the caves. A quick-footed legionary caught one of them and brought him before me. I interrogated him and he agreed to show us through the caves to the Fort. His friends had unfortunately gotten away, and it was doubtless that they had told the defenders of our coming. With our new friend at the head of the column, we continued and came to a stop behind a large wooden door. The Stormcloak indicated that this was the entrance to the Fort, and I set about organising the men into small cohorts each with their own number and order when clearing each room under the fort. The Stormcloak was the one to open the door itself and, as he did, a flurry of arrows came through the gap killing him. 'Shields up, forward', I yelled, and the first cohorts pushed through the arrow fire and into the dungeons."_

Whilst this was going on inside the mountain, the siege guard, unaware of the unfortunate situation besetting Uulium, noticed that the beacon at the top of Sungard had been lit. However, it was no normal fire. It was purple and raging far harder than any fire would be expected to at this height and temperature. Word was sent down the mountain by a small group of militiamen and they arrived in my tent within an hour cut and bruised by their descent. At the same time of their coming, one of my own sentries entered my tent reporting the sighting of a sortie by the garrison of Whiterun. It did not take much to put the two together. The Stormcloaks intended to break the siege whilst Uulium was underground.

I left my tent and instructed the horn to be blasted three times (the signal for a surprise attack) and mounted my horse to ride with the rest of the cavalry. Scouts were still returning to camp and calculated that a mostly city watch and Stormcloak force of 1,400 men were about to be upon us.

My force at the base of the mountain outnumbered them, but any serious casualties or losses could stop this campaign before it has even properly started. I split the men into two rectangular groups and lined the limited skirmisher infantry in front. I ensured enough space was created between the rectangles for said skirmishers to escape behind the front lines after the enemy had closed. I commanded the cavalry personally and held it on the right flank. Due to the nature of our camp on the mountain, the enemy would have to engage us uphill.

Simultaneously (now paraphrasing the intense detail given by Uulium), Uulium and his men had managed to kill and clear the very bottom level of the Fort's dungeons. The defenders had been pressed hard and retreated upwards, throwing whatever they could find down the stairs behind them. Some legionaries were crushed by barrels full of beer and others killed by bear traps and arrows. Uulium carried on upwards, ever resolute, ever determined to see this siege through. Upon climbing several more flights of stairs, the main attack party found itself bathed in sunlight from an open window. They now knew they were back above ground and within the keep itself. Uulium sent two cohorts to assault the main tower and led the rest of the men out into the bailey.

They entered the sunlight just in time to catch the tail of a Stormcloak sortie. One final attempt to break the siege and escape with their lives. Uulium commanded his men to charge and, as neither side had any sort of formation, individual street style fighting took place. Uulium sent his squire to mount the walls and blast his horn twice, signalling to the siege troops to begin an assault on the Fort. The gate had been left open for the sortie and the Stormcloaks, now being attacked on two sides, were cowardly and fled instead of fighting. However, most were enveloped and killed. There was much celebrating and a great cheer was raised when the two cohorts returned from the tower with the Stormcloak commander amongst them. I had a chance to look at him myself. I do not envy him.

Back at the base of the mountain, the two forces were getting closer to one another. The missile troops unleashed three volleys on the enemy and, following some minor casualties, caused some of the townsfolk to break and flee back to Whiterun. However, the rest pressed forward. It was not until they had reached the base of the mountain and begun to ascend that I gave the call for the heavy infantry to charge. Clad in their strong iron and leather armour, the weight plus gravity pulled the legionaries downwards and they clashed with the enemy line in such a way that some Stormcloaks were tossed many meters in the air. The initial charge stunned the enemy, and many were killed. However, those that remained fought hard and did not give up another inch of ground. Assessing the possibility that the battle may take many hours and cost many imperial lives, I decided to try and outflank the Stormcloaks using the cavalry. I do not question the integrity of imperial soldiers, rather my impatience and want of a swift victory.

The cavalry stormed forward, with me at the front, and broke right and then swung left until the Stormcloak rear was dead ahead of us. Raising my sword and yelling, I was the first to crash into the Stormcloak line as well as the first to thrust his sword into the back of a Stormcloak rebel. Upon our entering the fray, and with Uulium now sighted descending the hill with the siege forces, the Stormcloaks broke and called a general retreat. But being caught between two enemies caused great panic and stress and many were trapped, and their fate sealed. Those that did get away, fled to a now undefended city. It was very tempting to initiate a siege of Whiterun itself and to capture the Jarl, Vignar Gray-Mane, who was placed there after the death of Balgruff the Greater earlier in the Civil War. However, Uulium had had enough of sieges and wished to reward the men with a hard march and hearty food.

The final count of losses for this siege go as follows: Imperials – 138 dead, 289 wounded. Stormcloaks – 1,874 dead, 399 wounded.

Such startling numbers of Stormcloak dead essentially nullified any remaining threat to originate from Whiterun itself. Fort Sungard had been hard won and now had an Imperial garrison placed within it. Their first assignment was to block the cave with heavy boulders and seal any other hidden entrances. Meanwhile, the rest of the army pressed onwards towards Solitude.


End file.
